What is the problem with this dehumidifier unit?

what does the little plastic plug in the rear of the unit serve?

Colin
May 2021

Hi just acquired a bcm201 and have plugged it in, it's ticking and fan blowing but no hot air? Does this mean it's not working?

Helen
December 2014

I had a unit which behaved in the same way. In my case it was a faulty circuit-board-mounted electromagnetic switch. Sometimes they stick, sometimes they appear to loose their magnetic power. A gentle tap can do the job otherwise replacement is the only sensible option if you can get the part and do it yourself.

Roger.A.Smith
December 2012

Hello Brian.
I have just repaired the same dehumidifier with the same problem as yours: fan runs but compressor doesn't. You're correct, it is made by Ebac. If you take out the water bottle you should see a sticker inside the unit with the make, model and serial number. Otherwise you might find the sticker on the bottom of the unit.
The problem was on the electronic circuit board. One component (a triac) had the top blown off. The circuit board part number in my unit was XA-0005/B. I phoned Ebac phone repairs (see http://www.ebac.co.uk/contact-us.php) and ordered a new board - about £30 excluding postage. The new board is a little different and includes a heatsink on the chip that had blown on the old one.
To replace the board: (1) take out the bottle and the little stopper at the back of the unit and unscrew the front and rear halves of the case. Carefully remove the front half - the control panel is connected. (2) Use a thin knife or screwdriver to prise off the fan speed knob from the outside and use a spanner or socket set to remove the nut holding the switch spindle. The circuit board should now come off. (3) Make a note of which way round the cable connector is inserted on the board then disconnect it. (4) Plug in the new board and reassemble everything (may want to vacuum-out the inside while you are there).
Hope that was of use.

David Edgar
September 2010

Hello, I have an Ebac machine in the kitchen and have had no problems with it in over 20 years till recently. The problem was similar to yours i.e. electrically all was OK and the filters are washed regularly. Although you can clean the external filters and hoover the dust off the coils, the problem was the fins inside (behind the coils). We have a cat and we found that his hairs, together with dust had clogged the fins - simple as that. However, to get at the fins involved nearly taking the unit to bits.

Take off the external filter - then remove the outer casing (fiddly but doable) - then undo the screws that fix the cage/frame above the coils to the carcass. You might need another pair of hands at this stage to GENTLY nudge the coils out of the way while you use the nozzle attachment on your hoover to suck all the fluff etc out of the fins. We also did as much as we could from the front after removing the front grille as well. It will depend how much you can shift from the back. Re-assemble the cage/frame over the top of the coils and replace the outer casing of the unit. Lastly, replace the clean filter.

We were amazed at the difference and feel that we have got a new machine all over again. We had not noticed that the efficiency had dropped so low until we were not emptying the tank for over a couple of weeks. Now we empty it every 2/3 days as it is always on.

Do not attempt this unless you are confident in reassembling all the bits. Our attitude was "it was already broken, what have we got to lose?" Good luck

Shirley Hughes
April 2009

I changed fuse but still it will switch on

jay
January 2009